This is a variation of the Maple Nut Scones I put in my very first cookbook years ago, and it’s the same basic recipe I’ve used since 1999, when I first made maple nut scones for my friend Hyacinth when she came over to play one day.
At the time, I had two babies and had just gotten a new espresso machine and I wanted to duplicate my favorite Starbucks scones ever (do they even still serve this variety?), and boy oh boy…did it work. Hy and I loved every bite.
Fun fact about my espresso machine: It was during the course of my owning this machine that I became aware that I had a condition called PSVT (Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia). I drank such strong espresso that it sent my heart into 2-minute (sometimes longer) episodes of extremely rapid beating, and the only way for me to get it to stop was to splash ice cold water on my face and pray the rosary. After giving up caffeine and finding the heart-racing episodes were still happening more and more, I had to start taking beta blockers, which made me want to take 24-hour naps every day and not speak, so ultimately I decided to have an curative ablation procedure, where doctors used a catheter to enter my heart and zap the pathway that was causing the electrical instability. It was an outpatient procedure, it totally cured me, and I’ve been enjoying iced coffee every morning ever since.
Oh. I didn’t mean the doctors entered my heart. That would be cramped. I meant they used a catheter to access my heart so they could ablate the pathway causing the problem.
I mean…
Never mind.
Okay, now that I’ve subjected you to my complete medical history and you have no appetite whatsoever, here’s what you need for the scones! Butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cream, eggs, maple extract, and oats.
Simple stuff!
My original scones didn’t have oats in them, so for these I decided to try to be as close to Starbucks as I could: Add some regular oats into a food processor or blender…
And pulse them until they’re mostly ground up but with some remaining bigger pieces.
Another little piece of prep: Grab two sticks of cold (right out of the fridge) butter…
And cut them into small cubes.
Now, to make the scone mixture: To a bowl, add all-purpose flour…
The ground oats…
Some sugar…
Some baking powder…
And a leetle bit of salt.
Then just stir all this together.
Aw, look at this sweet spoon.
It was a gift and I love it. (Thank you Maria and Jenny!)
Now, add all the cubed butter to the bowl…
Grab your trust rusty (or trusty stainless) pastry cutter…
And totally go for it, man. Work the butter into the flour (or the flour into the butter, depending on whether you’re right- or left-brained)…
Until it’s totally combined and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
After that, chop up some pecans until they’re pretty fine…
Drop them into the bowl…
And stir it all together.
Next, combine an egg with 3/4 cup of heavy cream.
Whisk it together with a fork…
Add some maple extract…
And whisk it in.
Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture…
Folding gently as you go.
It will start to come together in big, crumbly clumps. Don’t expect an overly wet dough! It shouldn’t be together in one big ball.
Crumbliness is the beauty scones.
Next, just turn out the dough onto a cutting board or floured surface…
Bring it into a ball with your incredibly veiny, pink, and disturbing-looking hands…
And press it into a circle. You want the top to be lumpy and rustic—not perfectly even and flat.
Kind of like my bottom.
(Sorry. I had to.)
Use a knife to cut a big “X” in the circle.
Then cut a big “+” to create 8 equal wedges.
Or you could always cut the “+” first and then the “X.” But be forewarned, the scones will taste totally different if you go this route!
No. Not really.
Remove the scones one by one…
And place them on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment.
Bake them for about 25 minutes, or until they’re slightly poufed and barely starting to turn golden. Scones are one of those things you really don’t want to get very brown.
Now just let them cool completely while you make the maple glaze/icing/frosting/drizzle/coating/topping/adornment!
Measure powdered sugar in a sifter…
And see if you can sift it while creating an abominable powdered sugar man in the bowl. If the big cone stays intact, tell yourself your life will all turn out fine. If it crumbles and falls halfway through, feel really, really doomed.
You have these little conversations with yourself while you make scones too…right?
Oh, good! Whew.
Once you know how the rest of your life is going to turn out, pour in some whole milk…
And give it a little stir.
Next, add a little melted butter…
Then grab a couple of tablespoons of strong coffee…
And add it in.
Then add some more maple extract. (This stuff is good! Do not be afraid.)
Whisk it all together until it’s smooth, and check the consistency. It should be pretty thick but still pourable. If it’s too thin, sift in a little more powdered sugar.
And now. Are you ready to have some fun?
I sure hope so.
Grab some icing and go for it!
And when I say go for it…
I mean go for it.
Like, totally.
Keep going until all the scones are coated…
Then, for a final flourish, sprinkle a few extra pecans on top!
Now just step away, sit on your hands—heck, go on vacation if you have to. Just don’t touch them until the icing is totally set!
Aw, how pretty! Just stack them on a cake stand or platter, invite your BFF over for coffee…
And serve ’em on a pretty plate.
These are DIVINE, my friends. I always loved Starbucks’ version, but over the years I’ve become pretty darn partial to these.
Don’t tell Starbucks I said that. I don’t want to get on their bad side.
Hope you enjoy!
